Safety Advisor – Northeast

Organisation Background

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international non-governmental organisation that supports humanitarian aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services, including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety-related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training.

INSO works in 16 of the world’s most insecure countries with its headquarters in The Hague, the international city of peace and justice.

INSO Nigeria

INSO Nigeria began in April 2016 with the establishment of an office in Maiduguri, supported by a country office in Abuja. INSO Nigeria covers 4 states in the Northeast, and liaises with neighbouring INSO offices in Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, to provide context analysis in the Lake Chad Basin Region.

Since 2024, INSO Nigeria has expanded its coverage to the Northwest of Nigeria, opening two sub-offices in Katsina and Sokoto.

INSO Nigeria supports humanitarian access, by providing high-quality services to 96 humanitarian organisations in the country.

Job Summary

Safety Advisor Northeast position is a highly rewarding role, offering a unique opportunity to work in a close-knit team giving security analysis and advice that is vital to the efforts of the NGO community to deliver aid and assistance to the thousands of people who need it.

You will be outgoing and resilient, with the ability to analyse complex security issues and contexts, give practical safety and security advice and above all else share INSO’s commitment to humanitarian principles.

This position is based in Maiduguri, Borno state and reports to the Deputy Director.

Major Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain an active information network to obtain credible and relevant safety information.
• Provide NGOs with timely and credible safety information and contextual analysis of the local operating environment.
• Develop analytical products on regional and country-wide dynamics or developments of relevance to NGOs.
• Deliver INSO’s services in Maiduguri, like roundtables, orientation briefing, reports, alerts, and on-request services.
• Assist NGOs in developing their own safety management capacities by reviewing policy documents, conducting site surveys, and assisting in crisis planning.
• Manage a team, including supervision of staff and oversight of local logistics and administration.
• Effectively represent, promote and protect INSO’s mandate of independence, impartiality and neutrality.

Requirements

• Fluency in English.
• Proven writing, editing, and analytical skills and the keenest eye for detail.
• Personal and professional resilience in a fast moving, high output, quality-driven program.
• Experience in the humanitarian, and/or risk management.
• Demonstrable understanding of humanitarian safety practices and principles.
• Graduate level education in a relevant field or equivalent work experience.
• Ability to manage staff and teams under strict systems and deadlines.

Nice to have

• Recent experience in Northeast of Nigeria.
• Demonstrable understanding of security dynamics in the Lake Chad Basin.
• Local language skills.
• Experience with NGO security and/or project management.
• Existing local information networks.

Key Personal Competencies

• A good listener
• An effective communicator
• Excellent analyst
• Team player
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Outgoing and proactive personality

INSO’s Safeguarding Policy

INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process.

Terms & Conditions

12-month renewable contract.

For international staff, €5000 per month salary, 4 calendar days annual leave per month (including weekends) and 7 days of R&R every 2 months with a €1,250 R&R allowance each cycle, global medical coverage (excluding USA) and AD&D insurance.

For national staff: conditions based on the national staff regulation and salary grid.